MELBOURNE: Australia’s Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first pair in 37 years to successfully defend the Australian Open mixed doubles title, beating France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6 6-3 10-8 in the final on Friday.
The wildcard pairing are the first team to retain the crown since Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh in 1989, and the first Australian duo to do so since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher achieved the feat 62 years ago.
“I can’t believe we’re in this position right now,” Gadecki said after claiming her second Grand Slam title alongside Peers, who secured his fourth. “To hold the trophy again this year is incredible.”
Mladenovic and Guinard seized the early initiative, breaking Peers in the opening game and consolidating the advantage as the first set swung back and forth with five breaks of serve. Although Mladenovic was broken while serving for the set, the French pair regrouped to close it out 6-4 on Guinard’s serve.
Roared on by the home crowd, Gadecki and Peers settled into the match in the second set, breaking early to move 3-1 ahead before holding serve throughout. Peers sealed the set with an ace to force a 10-point match tiebreak.
The decider proved equally tense, with Mladenovic’s early double fault setting the tone for a volatile finish. After the French duo edged ahead 7-5, the Australians rallied strongly to clinch the tiebreak 10-8 and retain the title.
